Pumpkin Sunrise

  Hello! How are you and how is your crafting coming along this week? I have my family here until the weekend so I doubt I will be knitting much, but I did make it to the second sleeve of my vanilla sweater after I snapped this photo. I'm so excited that I am near the end. I'm still trying to decide if I should redo the neckline a third time...I will block it and see how it looks before I rip it out. I'm hoping the blocking will even out the edges. What are you working on this week? I will be busy with my family and will not post until Monday or Tuesday. We hope they find a house to buy!

  Good afternoon! How are you? We have been having wonderful weather here, I'm enjoying it immensely. It seems like a switch was flipped and winter is over. Don't worry though, we did not put the snow shovel away yet as a precaution. I don't know if you remember but Frodo (our mini schnauzer who passed last August) was a nosey little dog and I would call him Mrs. Kravitz whenever he watched the neighborhood (from Bewitched TV show). Well now, look at Miss Holly up there doing the same thing picking up the torch of being nosey in the neighborhood. I love it! (Frodo wanted to park at people, Holly is interested in the birds) This past week was really busy. Tomorrow is busy as well. I have a meeting at church then the rest of the day I'm helping out my cousin with her medical appointment and it's 40 minutes away. My aunt appreciates an extra pair of hands and I'm willing to help out. That is why I'm posting today instead of tomorrow. On my walk today I spied ab...

  How are you doing on this fine Tuesday? Right now the sun is shining and I already took a first walk and will take a second short walk after dinner. Well now, I finished the baby blanket! I am excited that I casted off over the weekend. Phew. I love to knit for babies and lucky for me it seems there is always a baby to knit for these days.  It's been really busy here and that is why I wasn't around on Monday. I don't know why I have a ton of appointments and meetings that all bundle around each other. I'm the one that schedules them! I should know better because I get overwhelmed when there is too much going on.  How are your projects going these days?

  Good morning! How are you doing today? This past week I've been reflecting on my focus. What do I focus on and is it something I want to focus on. I've made a strong effort to prune away my wayward attention span. Of course it's a work in progress, but I'm happy with the progress I've made so far. I get sidetracked by current events or 'interesting ideas' where I fall down a rabbit hole of researching on the internet and then find out that time has slipped away. I've become purposeful on how I focus and what I focus on each day.  The more technology advances to help us with our life, the more tangled it becomes on what is important to focus on and what is not important to focus on. Each day, I write what I want to accomplish. That helps set the tone of my focused attention. Anyways, this is what I've been thinking about.  You know what I love to focus on? My knitting which by the way has made significant progress. I hope to finish the baby blanket ...

  Good morning! How are you and how is your crafting coming along? I made it to the first sleeve of my pullover ! Before I started the sleeve, I had to undo the cast off for the neckline because I couldn't get it over my head. I used a stretchy bind off and now the neckline is a bit floppy. I am keeping my fingers crossed that blocking fixes that floppiness and the body edging that is also curling up.  The baby blanket is nearing completion. I am on the last full skein of knitting and if my memory is correct I use a teeny bit of the last skein. (I really should write notes to myself!).   What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? Even though it was mighty cold yesterday, I found daffodils sprouting in my yard. They are defiantly saying spring is on the way. Over the weekend the temps dropped down and I was once again doing my daily walk wearing double of everything. As long as there is no wind, my cold walks are manageable.  My weekend was busy. We viewed three houses for the kids and while one of them was a great possibility they are going to wait a few more weeks before committing on a house. Yesterday after the laundry was done, I read my books and knitted in the afternoon. I am almost done with the baby blanket.  Lent starts this Wednesday and maybe I will be posting a little less (or not). Can you believe that we change the time this coming weekend? Time flies by the older I get.  How was your weekend?

  Good morning! How are you doing?  My knitting news this week is very little. The baby blanket is almost done which I am excited about. I haven't knitted much this week because of being 'busy'. I've had routine doctor checkups that seem to be bundled all at the end of February and beginning of March (!) and we are looking at houses for our son and daughter in law. When I get home I am just too tired to think straight. Luckily I've got a few days to catch up with my knitting, reading and thoughts before the next house viewing this weekend.  What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was busy, but I still managed to catch some minutes with my knitting. I am very close to the bottom of this sweater. I'm so excited! Our son and daughter in law started looking at houses virtually while my husband and I go physically to some of the houses. So far, nothing of interest that meets their needs but it did take up a chuck of our Sunday afternoon.  On Saturday, we went over to my sister's house to celebrate our brother in law's birthday. It was nice to get together and catch up with one another.  I am easing into another busy week helping family out, going to my classes and another routine doctor appointment. (these doctor appointments tend to bundle all together...). How was your weekend?

  I did it! I finished my hat a few days ago and instead of having five projects on the needles, I am now doing four projects. My brain loves that amount. For some reason I feel pressure with five projects. This hat was a fun project, it's the third one I've made of this design. I love the double thickness for walking in the extreme cold. It's the only hat design that I have knitted that keeps my heat toasty warm.  By the way, my daughter wove the scarf in the background of my photo. I love it so much!! She is talented and thoughtful.  What are you working on this week?

  We had some wild weather this weekend. On Saturday morning, it snowed so much that my husband had to clear the driveway before the rain set in. By Saturday night all the snow melted and it was raining until Sunday early afternoon. I decided to go for a walk after the became a scant drizzle. That is of course when the snow started and it was heavy! I was soaking wet and my shoes were leaking, so sad.  So now we have about 3-4 inches of snow to clear once again this morning. Besides the rollercoaster weather, I finished a book over the weekend and then started Glory Over Everything  as my next read. So far I find the book captivating and it is from my 'to be read' bookshelf. My goal of reading the books I already own for 2025 is going strong. I continued to work steadily on my sweater over the weekend as well. It's a comfort knit with all of those stockinette stitches. How was your weekend?

  Good morning! First and foremost, these are NOT my daffodils. I spied them in the neighborhood and was thrilled to snap a photo for you so you could see that spring is around the corner. I love February and how it slowly changes into hints of spring while clinging to winter weather. On my walk yesterday, I started with drizzle, that then turned to sleet (painful), that then turned to flakes, that then turned to drizzle. What a walk!  I felt like I went through all the emotions but I was invigorated! After some errand running yesterday, I worked on my hat and the blanket while chilling out reading my kindle. I'm reading Digital Minimalism and am enjoying it. For my real book reading, I'm still reading the short story collection The Wonder Garden, I love it. The author sprinkles in various characters from previous short stories and it is fun to see the different side of characters and their motivations through the different stories.  Holly is being majestic and owning her...

  Good morning! How are you? My knitting news is quite scant. I had high hopes of finishing this hat over the weekend but it just didn't happen. Maybe I'll finish it by next week? I do love working on this while I am watching TV or talking to people, it's hard for me to make a mistake (although never say never!).  What have you been working on this week?

  Good morning! After a crazy weekend, I am fully restored to my default settings. I have been mainly knitting on two projects. The first is my lovely pullover , working slowly on the body of the sweater, this is my TV knitting later in the evenings because I cannot make a mistake. I've also been steadily working on the baby blanket as well. I enjoy this pattern because I've knit it so much (this is the eighth time) and it is memorized.  What are you working on this week?

  Hello! How are you doing and how was your weekend? My weekend was filled with celebrating our grandson's third birthday. I cannot believe he is three. He thoroughly enjoyed the birthday singing and of course the presents. My husband and I had a great time seeing family as well. I am so happy today is a 'boring' day so I can recharge and regroup. My granddaughter wore her sweater on the party day! (I wished I had used bigger buttons...) Even though the visiting was packed with socializing, I managed to seek in some much needed knitting time. I did not finish any projects, but I did add inches to the hat and the baby blanket. After pizza and cake, I'm ready for a BIG salad and lots of healthy foods.  How was your weekend?

  Good morning! My knitting news is kind of brief. I made it to the separating of the sleeves on my top down sweater and am gloriously knitting stockinette stitch while watching mystery tv shows in the evenings.  What are you working on this week? Also, I have family get togethers this weekend, so I will not be here until early next week!

  Good morning! Today our weather is starting to warm up. Yesterday I took a walk after three days of not being outside due to the frigid weather. I was cold, but it was so nice to be outside and get some fresh air. Since I was homebound, I've been doing lots of reading, knitting and some journaling. I finished reading Conjure Women, which I highly recommend. I was captured by the plot immediately. Now I will start reading, The Wonder Garden. I cannot remember where I bought this book and I have no idea what is about as of yet.  This past Wednesday we had no water in the evening for about five hours due to a water main break on our street. I felt empathetic towards the people working in the frigid temperatures to bring back the water. I tried to not be too annoyed by the inconvenience. But I am now living in a state of gratitude for running water. Another book I am starting today is Digital Minimalism  with the hopes of downsizing my time online. I have drastically cut do...

  Good morning! How are you and how are your projects this week? We are in a deep freeze and so I knit. It's one of the best things about being a knitter. I am almost done with the raglan increases of this sweater and hopefully by next week will be sailing through the body of the sweater! I've been enjoying this project immensely! What are you working on?

  Hello! How are you? How was your weekend? My weekend was ultra relaxing but I made it so. I've been enjoying reading and knitting, sometimes at the same time, in the afternoons before I start cooking. I love the change of seasons and how I move with them. In the summer, I hardly feel like knitting much but I do. In the winter, I can't get enough of knitting. I've mainly worked on my hat or my sweater  on Saturday and Sunday. I walked yesterday and I believe that is the last walk outside until the end of the week. It will be too cold. That doesn't stop me from exercising in the house though. It's been so cold I washed eight pairs of wool socks yesterday! A record.  We really didn't do much this weekend except go to a nephew's birthday party on Saturday afternoon at my sister's house and attend church on Sunday. I've been hibernating. I love winter for the cosy hibernating. Holly says 'hello', she is waiting for her beloved (husband) to come...

  Good morning to you! How have you been?  My knitting is on fire these days. I have three main projects that get equal treatment and spark immense joy. Above is the sweater that I am knitting along with my sister. I love the color and the construction so far of the sweater pattern and the yarn is very tweedy. Next up is my hat which is my third musselburgh hat pattern. Nothing is so satisfying as knitting endless stockinette stitch when you are reading a book or talking to someone. Lastly, I have a shawl on the needles, but I think there was a mistake in the lace portion of the pattern so I am correcting it along the way (and it could be that I made a mistake that I am fixing along the way!) I am pretty confident in my pattern alterations but my fingers are crossed if I have to fudge further along in the pattern as I continue to knit along. What are you working on this week?

  Good morning! How are you? I am doing great and the weekend was fun. My sister and my aunt celebrated birthdays this weekend. Actually a lot of my family have birthdays in January, do you have a month where all you do is celebrate a birthday? On Saturday, my sister and my brother in law came over for a lasagna dinner along with board game night. We celebrated her birthday on that day as well. I'm hoping all this game playing is good for the brain, it's definitely good for boosting happiness. My sister and I ordered a sweater kit from Woolly Thistle and started our sweaters on Saturday. What fun!!  My January so far has been a knitting starting frenzy, the cold crisp weather inspires me. Yesterday, my family all met at the william penn hotel in Pittsburgh to have a brunch buffet to celebrate my aunt's birthday. It was nice to be with family and eat good food. I have some exciting news! Our son, his wife and the two kids will be moving here somewhere in the greater Pittsb...